Something vinous?

[HeyNonnyNonny]

I've been kicking around on the fringes of this hangout for a coupla months, and I've really been benefiting from the combined wisdom and experience that you lot bring. I've learnt lots about erotica, about writing and about... well, life, I suppose.

However, I feel like I'm doing a whole lot of benefiting, and not much by way of contributing. I'm also not getting to know any of you. So I tried to work out what I could bring to the table, despite knowing erotica and fiction writing from nothing. Then it came to me: wine.

I've spent the last six years working in the wine trade as a maker, journalist and consultant. I'm pretty capable of talking with some level of intelligence about most issues relating to wine, spirits, and all that stuff.

So here's my offer. I'll continue to take advantage of your wisdom throughout this forum, and if anyone has any queries about booze, wants a recommendation for some cheap plonk or a special evening, come to this thread and I'll do what I can. If people want summaries of articles I'm writing, weekly suggestions, or just answers to basic questions, let me know.

Equally, if this is unbeleivably arrogant and unnecessary, just ignore this thread, and it'll go away.

Nonny

 

[672]

Yummie. Liquor. ~satiating~

 

[AchtungNight]

We can always use a good wine connuiesseur (sp?).

 

[FallingToFly]

Nonny-

Any clue how to get over being absofrigginglutely drunk AND hungover at the same time? I had two hours of sleep on top of a large amount of bourbon.

 

[HeyNonnyNonny]

Easy.

Don't drink so much bourbon.

Failing that, there's nothing better than an alka seltzer, two pints of water, and going back to bed. Unfortunately, thats as good as it gets... its an occupational hazard.

 

[672]

Nonny-

Any clue how to get over being absofrigginglutely drunk AND hungover at the same time? I had two hours of sleep on top of a large amount of bourbon.

<_<'...

>_>...

~HORRIBLEMOUTHBITETOTHEDRUNKENSOULANDSWALLOWS~

^^'

~sits back and licks her paws clean, feeling a bit tipsy at the same time~

 

[Aurora Black]

You mean alcohol advice for story research? *gets excited*

 

[HeyNonnyNonny]

You mean alcohol advice for story research? *gets excited*

Sure. What do you want to know?

 

[rgraham666]

Hmm. I'm using a wine in a story I'm working on. I'm no more specific than it causes an 'Oh God' reaction in the person that drinks it.

So what, in a French red, would cause that reaction? In say, the $10,000 to $20,000 range?

The character buying it is rather wealthy.

 

[FallingToFly]

<_<'...

>_>...

~HORRIBLEMOUTHBITETOTHEDRUNKENSOULANDSWALLOWS~

^^'

~sits back and licks her paws clean, feeling a bit tipsy at the same time~

Phone? Phone?

Please tell me you have it and not your Maman...

 

[HeyNonnyNonny]

Dear God! More than $10,000... to be honest, 98% of the population (and I include myself in that) would find it incredibly difficult to enjoy wine at that price. You're paying for wines which age well enough for the rarity to force the price way up. However, wines which are more than about 50 years old have virtually no fruit flavours, and are incredibly tannic.

Unless the seducee is a total wine buff with a love of 19C Burgundy, you're probably better of in the $2,000-$3,000 dollar range (higher in restaurants). At that price, you have your pick of the great vintages of French reds. You could also go down the port/madeira range, and get something from 1921/1906.

Gun to my head, I'd recommend the 1961 Chateau Cos d'Estournel from Saint-Estephe in Bordeaux. 1961 is the finest vintage ever grown in Bordeaux, and Estournel make an undeniably seductive, satined red. It'll smell of leather, plums and wood smoke, and taste of dark fruits and white pepper.

Its also a pretty perfect setting on a river estaury, should your characters be interested in travelling.

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Nonny, for your advice in advance.

I'll remember this thread!

 

[SummerMorning]

Dear God! More than $10,000... to be honest, 98% of the population (and I include myself in that) would find it incredibly difficult to enjoy wine at that price. You're paying for wines which age well enough for the rarity to force the price way up. However, wines which are more than about 50 years old have virtually no fruit flavours, and are incredibly tannic.

Unless the seducee is a total wine buff with a love of 19C Burgundy, you're probably better of in the $2,000-$3,000 dollar range (higher in restaurants). At that price, you have your pick of the great vintages of French reds. You could also go down the port/madeira range, and get something from 1921/1906.

Gun to my head, I'd recommend the 1961 Chateau Cos d'Estournel from Saint-Estephe in Bordeaux. 1961 is the finest vintage ever grown in Bordeaux, and Estournel make an undeniably seductive, satined red. It'll smell of leather, plums and wood smoke, and taste of dark fruits and white pepper.

Its also a pretty perfect setting on a river estaury, should your characters be interested in travelling.

*whistles*

 

[rgraham666]

Dear God! More than $10,000... to be honest, 98% of the population (and I include myself in that) would find it incredibly difficult to enjoy wine at that price. You're paying for wines which age well enough for the rarity to force the price way up. However, wines which are more than about 50 years old have virtually no fruit flavours, and are incredibly tannic.

Unless the seducee is a total wine buff with a love of 19C Burgundy, you're probably better of in the $2,000-$3,000 dollar range (higher in restaurants). At that price, you have your pick of the great vintages of French reds. You could also go down the port/madeira range, and get something from 1921/1906.

Gun to my head, I'd recommend the 1961 Chateau Cos d'Estournel from Saint-Estephe in Bordeaux. 1961 is the finest vintage ever grown in Bordeaux, and Estournel make an undeniably seductive, satined red. It'll smell of leather, plums and wood smoke, and taste of dark fruits and white pepper.

Its also a pretty perfect setting on a river estaury, should your characters be interested in travelling.

Thanks. Just what I had in mind.

And surprising you should mention a river. The scene takes place on a balcony overlooking the Seine at night.

Has to be at night, the narrator's a vampire.

Thanks again.

 

[672]

Phone? Phone?

Please tell me you have it and not your Maman...

Not only do I have it, I have the best thread deviation. But I am a polite deviator, so just click the link before you call me.

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=201

Videogames and kitties and liquor! Glee!

 

[angela146]

OK, can you recommend a red wine that has relatively low tannen and is moderately sweet without being cloying.

I'm looking for a red wine that has the general sweetness of a white zinfandel but with the body and fruit flavor characteristic of a red.

Price wise, I can probably handle up to $50 per bottle.

 

[CopyCarver]

Hmm. I'm using a wine in a story I'm working on. I'm no more specific than it causes an 'Oh God' reaction in the person that drinks it.

So what, in a French red, would cause that reaction? In say, the $10,000 to $20,000 range?

The character buying it is rather wealthy.

Ostensibly, Cleopatra set the all-time record for pricey wine, by crushing a handful of perfect pearls into the decanter.

Alternately, I could give you a great deal on either Mad Dog 20/20 or Night Train Express--only $10,000 for a bottle of either, or $25,000 for both.

 

[HeyNonnyNonny]

OK... I'm guessing from your wording that you're writing from the US (I'm actually UK based, but I've done a fair bit of work out in Oregon and Washington, so I have some understanding of what's available in shops over there.

You can really go one of three ways. One option is something Portuguese, or in the Portuguese style. A lot of their wines have soft, approachable tanins and are fruity, medium bodied and off-dry, which should be what you're looking for. However, most of them have rampant acidity, which in a red puts a lot of people off. If you're okay with that, something like a single varietal from the Duoro (normally the grape is Touriga Nacional) would be within your budget and should fit the bill nicely.

If you want to stay away from acidity, some more tannins are needed to provide balance against the residual sugars you want. In that case, picking a wine with lots of soft tannins (which, done right, tastes like a lightly tannined wine) would work. The best in the world are found in the Northern Rhone, places like Gigondas, Tavel and Chateauneuff du Pape. Here the quality is variable and some will be out of your budget - if you tell me what is available in your local shop(s) I can make some recommendations, or you can talk to your merchant. Other areas with similar wines are the Margaret Valley in Australia (though beware over-powerful Shiraz-based blends) and some of the more established Argentinian houses. These are less refined, but more readily available and affordable.

The final route, and my preferred option for your selection would be a rose (BTW, if someone could tell me how to use accents in this programme, it'd be a big help!). A Rioja rose, normally a blend dominated by Garnacha (which is Grenache elsewhere) would be oaked enough to give a vanilla cream finish and fantastic length, but without too much tannin in the attack. If you aren't used to roses, they aren't just used to pick up freshmen girls. They represent fantastic value and can be amongst the best wines in the world. Rioja roses have a distinct rose water, vanilla, redcurrant and strawberry attack.

Apart from what you can obtain nearby, the big considerations are weather, setting and, of course, the food. Keep all those in mind when making your decision. Find a knowledgeable merchant and pick their brains. Most importantly, have lots of fun and let me know how you get on.

 

[CopyCarver]

BTW, if someone could tell me how to use accents in this programme, it'd be a big help!

There is probably a much better answer to your question, but the only way I've found to use accent marks is to compose the post in a Word or WordPerfect doc. and then paste it in. That's far from cybernetic elegance, but it works.

 

[R. Richard]

You can really go one of three ways. One option is something Portuguese, or in the Portuguese style. A lot of their wines have soft, approachable tanins and are fruity, medium bodied and off-dry, which should be what you're looking for. However, most of them have rampant acidity, which in a red puts a lot of people off. If you're okay with that, something like a single varietal from the Duoro (normally the grape is Touriga Nacional) would be within your budget and should fit the bill nicely.

If you want to stay away from acidity, some more tannins are needed to provide balance against the residual sugars you want. In that case, picking a wine with lots of soft tannins (which, done right, tastes like a lightly tannined wine) would work. The best in the world are found in the Northern Rhone, places like Gigondas, Tavel and Chateauneuff du Pape. Here the quality is variable and some will be out of your budget - if you tell me what is available in your local shop(s) I can make some recommendations, or you can talk to your merchant. Other areas with similar wines are the Margaret Valley in Australia (though beware over-powerful Shiraz-based blends) and some of the more established Argentinian houses. These are less refined, but more readily available and affordable.

The final route, and my preferred option for your selection would be a rose (BTW, if someone could tell me how to use accents in this programme, it'd be a big help!). A Rioja rose, normally a blend dominated by Garnacha (which is Grenache elsewhere) would be oaked enough to give a vanilla cream finish and fantastic length, but without too much tannin in the attack. If you aren't used to roses, they aren't just used to pick up freshmen girls. They represent fantastic value and can be amongst the best wines in the world. Rioja roses have a distinct rose water, vanilla, redcurrant and strawberry attack.

Apart from what you can obtain nearby, the big considerations are weather, setting and, of course, the food. Keep all those in mind when making your decision. Find a knowledgeable merchant and pick their brains. Most importantly, have lots of fun and let me know how you get on.

How about a Lambrusco?

 

[angela146]

The "character map" tool in windows should allow you to add accents:

start/programs/accessories/system tools/character map

If you're using a Mac, I have no idea.

 

[HeyNonnyNonny]

How about a Lambrusco?

It's an idea. The majority of Lambrusco is, with the best will in the world, swill. However, some high quality Lambrusco is amongst Italy's best wine. Drunk young, they can be wonderful summer wines, dominated by red fruit flavours. Of the four appelations, the pick of the areas is Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, the most southerly.

Given the requirement for medium sweet wines, if you can lay your heands on a lambrusco amabile it would be a good idea. These are blended with a small amount of Ancellotta which adds a depth of garnet colour and a pronounced, but not dominant sweetness.

Not my bag, but lots of people really enjoy them, and most of the best find their way to the US, particularly the restaurants of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. One caveat: I'm yet to drink a single varietal lambrusco from the US which I would recommend to others.

 

[angela146]

Thank you!

I will try some of your suggestions the next time I am near a wine shop.

if you tell me what is available in your local shop(s) I can make some recommendations, or you can talk to your merchant.

There are some good stores locally so I should be able find what I am looking for. If all else fails, I get to Chicago fairly often. I suspect I should be able to find something there.

Thanks

 

[Aurora Black]

Sure. What do you want to know?

Nothing right now, but the moment the issue comes up I'll know to come to you.

 

[CopyCarver]

According to Forbes ( www.forbes.com/2003/11/19/cx_np_1119feat.html ) the most expensive still-drinkable wine recently sold in America was a Montrachet 1978 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold by Sotheby's in 2001. The lot of seven bottles brought $167,500, or $23,929 per bottle.